Winning an international competition is a fantastic achievement for any architect, but it brings no guarantee of a smooth transition from concept to completion. Just ask Zaha Hadid, whose victory in the Tokyo Olympic Stadium competition has only led to trouble for her firm. David Chipperfield Architects has experienced similar travails with its design for the Nobel Center in Sweden, having faced public opposition to the scale of their winning design on Stockholm’s picturesque waterfront.
The British firm has endeavored to address these concerns, revealing new renderings of a scaled-down proposal that seeks to complement its characterful context while remaining true to the architect’s original vision. The new design retains the appearance of a golden box of light, its gleaming façade comprising “opaque glass elements and slender metal pilaster strips” that envelop the building “like a dress,” according to the architects.
These semitransparent elevations allow glimpses into the grand auditorium on the uppermost story, where the Nobel Prizes in Science, Literature, and Peace will be awarded. Chipperfield has removed the underground parking on the lower story to free up public space at ground level, and the new design includes a publicly accessible terrace on the third floor that will offer spectacular views across Stockholm. Inside, the roof structure of the auditorium allows for a column-free space optimized for unobstructed views of the award-giving ceremony.
As well as the viewing terrace, Chipperfield’s proposal incorporates a new public square adjacent to the center, inspired by Blasieholmstorg Square, an elongated plaza nearby. It generates a visual axis toward Stockholm’s eastern bay between the new Nobel Center and the National Museum. As long as Chipperfield’s new design meets with the city’s approval, it should be complete come 2018.
Check out the Chipperfield’s growing portfolio of projects over on the British studio’s firm profile.
